


Friend or Foe?

by newsies_of_corona



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alchemy Bros Appreciation Week, Hugo's actually innocent in this one, Varian's mean but he's learning, Villain Varian (Disney), alchemy bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27592643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsies_of_corona/pseuds/newsies_of_corona
Summary: The adopted Prince of Bayangor is off to find adventure and his true origin, but will a wayward apprentice stifle his goal?
Relationships: Hugo & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Friend or Foe?

The kingdom of Bayangor fades in the distance as Hugo sets forth. With a map in his hand and a twinkle in his eye, he flicks the reins of his horse, Rosebud, and the caravan rolls out into the open. He had waited too long for this moment. He’s finally going to find out what happened to his real parents, a mystery that had been plaguing him since he was a kid. 

Prince Hugo Gravese was adopted into the royal family as a baby when his parents mysteriously disappeared, and as soon as he was old enough to learn, he longed to figure out why. On his sixteenth birthday, his parents finally gave him permission to take the journey to Corona in the hopes of discovering the routes of his past. The prince wasted no time at all building a caravan and gathering supplies for the journey as soon as he could, and now all that was left was to leave his restraining kingdom behind in search of a better future. It was nerve-wracking but mostly _exhilarating._

Hugo takes in a breath of fresh air and smiles warmly.

“This is pretty great, huh Cheese?” He reaches into his pocket to take out a small mechanical mouse; his only companion on this journey. He raises him up so he can see the view which causes the little guy to whir with excitement.

“I know! We’ve never really been out of the kingdom before. Except for a couple of excursions to Sendale for new tech.”

Hugo’s face drops for a second. The closely guarded trips to Sendale, the neighboring village to Bayangor, were always less than pleasant. Ever since Hugo was promoted to the Royal Engineer of the kingdom, he had been required to go out and find equipment for various inventions. Unfortunately, his adopted father, the king of Bayangor, didn’t trust him...at all. The trips were often filled with tension for Hugo, and he couldn’t turn one corner without a guard glaring over his shoulder.

Hugo straightens the cravat on his intricately woven forest green suit, subconsciously glancing behind him to find no one there.

“Do those _really_ count though?” 

Cheese shakes his head and jumps on Hugo’s shoulder. Hugo tenderly rubs his pet’s head with his finger, making the mouse vibrate as a way of purring.

“Yeah, let’s put this one in the books as our first trip _completely_ outside of Bayangor.”

Cheese rolls down Hugo’s shoulder, nodding to the cravat at the prince’s neck.

“Oh, this? Well, I know it might be a bit _unsuitable_ for the journey…”

Hugo snickers and gestures to his ensemble.

“Get it? Cause of the suit-”

Cheese rolls his little mechanical eyes and whirs, clearly not a fan of his puns.

”Okay, okay, heh. Anyway, I know I’m going on a long journey, but who says I can’t be fashionable?”

Hugo grabs the reins again, urging the caravan forward. He can’t take his eyes off the scenery. Every tree and hill that passes is such a contrast from the dull castle in Bayangor. And every moment of freedom and breath of clean, fresh air is worth enjoying. Hugo closes his eyes, taking it all in. He’s actually out here. Independently! Taking on the world and discovering all of its opportunities.

As Hugo obliviously enjoys the scenery, Cheese jumps onto his leg and whirs anxiously, spotting a tree directly in his path. Hugo’s eyes shoot open and widen significantly when he sees the roadblock

“Oh!”

The prince grabs the reins tighter and swerves the carriage past the tree just as it’s about to crash. Rosebud skids to a halt, the caravan just _barely_ missing the trunk of the tree. Hugo stops for a moment to catch his breath and straighten his glasses which had slipped down his nose.

“Sheesh, that was a close one!”

He picks up Cheese who nuzzles his hand in return.

“Thanks, Cheese. I’m glad you didn’t _leaf_ me back there!”

The mouse shakes his head and jumps back into Hugo’s pocket who scoffs offensively.

“What? Oh come on, that was a good pun! It was _perfectly_ timed!”

Cheese whirs in his pocket, which Hugo could tell was the mouse’s version of sass. He peers in his pocket at his smug pet.

“Hey, hey. Don’t take that tone with me!”

Cheese laughs at Hugo in his own little mechanical way and eventually, Hugo joins in.

“Okay, fine. I guess it _was_ a bit _cheese-_ y!” Hugo smiles widely, clearly proud of himself for that one as Cheese burrows deeper into his pocket.

“What, really? You’ve gotta love that one! It’s literally _about_ you!”

Cheese jumps out of Hugo’s pocket back into his hand, whirring in an annoyed fashion.

“Get used to it, buddy! It’s just you and me on this journey for…”

He places Cheese on his shoulder and flicks the reins again, setting his sights on the horizon, the sunset illuminating everything in a golden glow. Hugo steals a brief glance at Bayangor and lets out a small sigh. 

“Who knows _how_ long?”

The caravan jerks back into motion and slowly but surely continues down the road.

* * *

A shadowy figure fixates on a sketch of Bayangor’s newly appointed Royal Engineer. He grabs the poster from its beholder and looks at it closer, narrowing his eyes at the description with a low scoff.

“ _Another_ royal? _Really?”_

The owner of the voice crosses his arms, allowing the poster to flutter to the ground.

“You do realize that I decided to move here, _far_ from Corona, to get _away_ from royals?”

The young apprentice picks up the poster again, examining his “target,” when he’s suddenly stopped as a cold hand rests on his shoulder. He feels a chill go up his spine as Donella’s low, unsettlingly calm voice echoes in the room.

“Strong words, _Varian,”_ Donella drones, compelling him to look in her direction. “Don’t forget your place, darling. You’d be left in that cell to _rot_ if I hadn’t given you accommodation out of _generosity_.”  
She steps into the dim light, gently handling Varian’s chin and tipping his head up to look up at her. He shivers as her stiff, gloved hand brushes his skin. Donella’s voice is threatening, causing a pit to form in Varian’s stomach.

_“And I only have a sparse amount of that to give.”_

Donella quickly lets go of his chin and yanks the poster out of Varian’s grasp as he flinches.

“I should hope you wouldn’t give me reason to... _regret_ that decision.”

The boy’s predicament seemed to be a hopeless case. After his acts of violence towards Corona resulting in his imprisonment, rumors spread quickly. Unfortunately, the wrong person happened to hear about this dangerous alchemist, and she decided he would be a _terrific_ fit for an apprentice.

Through unforeseen circumstances, at least to the boy, a breakout was arranged and Varian had been living with Donella for about a year now. It hadn’t been easy, of course. Donella was relentless but Varian was a fighter, and it had been hard to break the boy’s will. But after a couple of electrical burns, Varian finally set his revenge on Corona aside to fully commit to the position of apprentice. It wasn’t the best arrangement by any means, but anything was better than prison. 

Varian subconsciously fiddles with the collar of his coat, running his fingers over the various spikes littered over the dark fabric. 

“Of-of course not, Donella, heh. And I’m grateful for everything, really, it’s just-”

An exasperated sigh rings out, cutting Varian off. Donella holds the poster out to Varian once more.

“You don’t want to be associated with royals. I understand, darling. No need to reiterate.” 

She stands rigidly with her other hand poised behind her back, glaring at the area of Varian’s collar that he’s messing with. It doesn’t take long for her apprentice to notice and immediately stop playing with the spike. He takes the poster she’s holding and folds it carefully, stuffing it into the pocket of his uniform. 

Donella watches as his shaky hands struggle to keep still. The boy is clearly nervous, and that’s no good for her plan.

“If it’s any _consolation,_ darling, Hugo wasn’t born into the Gravese line. The royal family adopted him as a child,” Donella tells him, gently lowering his hand from his coat collar.

Varian tenses again and stuffs both of his hands in his pockets.

“Okay…” 

Varian’s anger and hatred for Corona was far from burned out, however, only concealed for the time being. Normally he was able to keep it all under control on account of what Donella was capable of. Although on _this_ mission, fraternizing with a royal was _definitely_ going to test his patience, and a few sarcastic remarks had to slip through the cracks. 

The apprentice looks away from Donella, mumbling under his breath, “But he’ll still _act_ like a royal.” 

The head alchemist narrows her eyes, staring Varian down.

“That’s none of your concern, _darling,_ ” Donella tells him firmly. “If all goes smoothly you’ll only be traveling with him for a few months, or less if you decide to finish the job _quickly._ ”

Varian wants to object again but bites his tongue. He had already pushed Donella far enough with his comments. Without fully thinking it through, he decides to ask a question about the mission instead.

“So I’m joining this guy on his journey... _why_ exactly?”

Donella lets out a low chuckle as a few sparks of electricity fly off of her glove.

“You certainly are _inquisitive_ today, Varian.”

The boy gulps and takes a step back when he sees the sparks. Apparently that was _also_ the wrong move. But electrocution is not on his list for today and he’ll do whatever he can to avoid it. He clears his throat and tries again, hoping for a better result.

“Sorry, Donella. I-I’m just...curious about what this will mean in the long run.”

This is a lie, of course, but the least Varian can do is seem _mildly_ interested in Donella’s plans. It’s better than another scar.

Donella flips a switch on the glove, turning it off for the time being. As much as her apprentice could be a pain in her side, she couldn’t have Varian infiltrating Hugo while injured. It would raise too much suspicion which is the _opposite_ of her goal.

“As always, darling, that information doesn’t concern you. Just make sure he _never_ gets to his destination.”

Donella returns to being straight-faced which calms the boy at least a bit. He shrugs and flexes his fingers out in front of him.

“Heh, piece of cake.”

Donella nods curtly and returns to her lab desk.

“You’ll leave as soon as possible.”

In Donella’s terms, Varian had come to find out, that means “right now.” He left later than expected on one occasion and unfortunately returned with yet _another_ scar. Varian wastes no time leaving the room and hastily turns on his heel, heading for the exit. He unlatches each of the ten intricate locks as fast as he can and pushes on the handle. Just as he’s about to walk out, Donella adds one last thing from where she stands.

“And Varian?”

The boy turns around after unlocking the last latch. “Hm?”

She walks over to him, the floorboards creaking with each step she takes.

“In the future, simply do what I say without hesitation. It will make things _much_ easier for everyone.”

Varian clears his throat, giving her a nod before stepping out into the sunlight. 

* * *

The bulky caravan continues at a slow and steady pace down the road. Hugo hums a little tune to himself, letting the wind blow through his blond ponytail. He leans back in the seat of the caravan and sighs, finally feeling relaxed.

“I could get used to this, Cheese, heh!”

His mechanical mouse had fallen “asleep” to charge, but Hugo is so used to talking to Cheese on a regular basis, he doesn’t even notice.

“There are no guards, no dangerous criminals lurking around every corner…”

Hugo continues talking to himself about the scenery while the caravan trails next to a glittering blue river. He pulls out a small, leatherbound sketchbook and begins drawing everything he sees in as much detail as possible.  
“It’s nice to have some mementos in case I never get out of Bayangor again...”

The extravagant structure comes into view of Varian who’s hiding in the shelter of a dark forest. He carefully makes his way out into broad daylight to get a better view of the caravan and groans when he sees the “much too joyful” royal who’s sitting in the front.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. He’s a regular _Rapunzel_.”

Varian kneels behind a tree and loads a crossbow full of pink-colored alchemy balls, aiming it at a wheel of the caravan. Varian narrows his eyes and waits until the wheel is in full view. He takes a deep breath and pulls the trigger, unleashing the bombs directly on their target. The caravan teeters to the side when the wheel is blown to smithereens and starts spinning on its remaining three wheels. Hugo snaps out of his relaxed state and grabs onto the reins, trying to regain control.

“Woah! What’s going _on?”_

Hugo slips over to the far side of the bench, almost falling completely off the seat.

“AGH!”

Varian watches the events unfold, wondering if he should help out. He starts to move from his spot before rolling his eyes. He isn’t obligated to _help_ this guy at all. In fact, it was the opposite!

“Eh, he-he’ll be fine…”

Varian kneels back down and folds up his crossbow into a compact shape, stuffing it into one of his many coat pockets.

In a panic, Hugo maneuvers the caravan into the river beside him, flipping it over on its side and barreling into the river. Varian cringes when he sees it land harshly in the water and stands up from his position.

“Heh, eventually.”

Down at the river, Hugo parts the wet hair from his face and spits out some water.

“Well, that lasted a good ten minutes without anything going wrong.”

He stands up and shakes the water off of him.

“That’s a new record, ha!”

Cheese peeks out from Hugo’s pocket, whirring his gears to get out all the excess water. The engineer stands back to look at the overturned caravan and puts his hands on his hips.

“But... _water_ we gonna do now?”

As if on cue, Varian steps out from his hiding spot, after a quick facepalm from the pun, and walks over to the river.

“I guess you could wait for some-“

He clears his throat and steps out dramatically.

“ _Help_ to arrive? Heh.”

Hugo jumps at the second voice and peeks out from the side of the caravan to determine its owner. He rings out his soaked cravat while trying to figure out exactly who this guy is.

Varian adjusts his over-the-top black coat, studded with spikes to match the goggles on top of his head. Underneath this ensemble is a dark blue uniform complete with two studded belts across the center, fingerless gauntlets, and metal-tipped boots. Since Hugo has an eye for fashion, he notices all of this before he sees the mischievous look in the stranger’s eye, and the distinct seafoam-colored stripe running through his bangs. Hugo cautiously approaches him white tucking the cravat back into place, and pushing up his glasses yet again.

“Uh...hello?”

Varian gives him a short wave and evaluates his situation, walking around the caravan on all sides.

“You...aren’t going to rob me or anything, right?” The prince asks shakily.

Varian stops and chuckles lowly.

“ _Rob_ you? Your highness, I wouldn’t _dream_ of it, heh.”

Hugo backs up, feeling a bit intimidated by this short, probable supervillain.

“Well, if you say so-”

He pauses, realizing what the ominous stranger just said.

“Wait, your _highness_? How did you-”

Varian gestures to Hugo’s ensemble.

“It’s _kind of_ obvious, heh,” he tells him cynically.

Hugo raises his head slightly and straightens his collar, sidestepping away from Varian.

“If you’re not going to rob me…” He flinches, taking another step away. “Are you going to _kill_ me?”

Varian lets out another maniacal sounding laugh, which, unfortunately, is the only way he knows _how_ to laugh anymore.

“Me? _Kill_ you? Heh! What would give you an idea like _that?”_

Now it’s Hugo’s turn to allude to Varian’s edgy get-up.

“It’s _kind of_ obvious,” he mocks before immediately taking another step back.

Varian narrows his eyes at Hugo, before letting out a forced chuckle. He can’t get mad at the prince this early in the game.

“Touché,” Varian says, faking a smile.

Hugo gets up the courage to hold out his hand for the stranger to shake. He might as well be hospitable.

“Well, I guess I’ll take your word for it? I’m Hugo. You don’t really need to mess with the titles, heh. No one in Bayangor addresses me formally anyway.”

Varian arches an eyebrow at his hand before shaking it.

“Varian…”

Hugo shakes his hand enthusiastically, partially from nerves, and gives him a warm smile.

“It’s _vari_ nice to meet you!”

Hugo laughs and gives Varian finger guns.

“See what I did there?”

Varian lets go of Hugo’s hand and rolls his eyes. 

“I’m going to pretend that I didn’t, heh.”

Hugo frowns slightly and brings out Cheese from his pocket.

“Sheesh. Tough crowd today. Someday I’ll find people who appreciate my puns!”

Varian spots the mechanical mouse in Hugo’s hand and actually lightens up a bit. He’s a sucker for anything remotely scientific.

“Fascinating! Is-is that a mechanical mouse?” Varian exclaims, drawing closer to the pet.

Hugo seems confused by Varian’s sudden change in demeanor but holds Cheese down for him to see.

“Why, yes! This is Cheese. He’s a solar-powered, sentient mechanical mouse I invented myself!”

Varian smiles widely at the sight of Cheese, looking over all of the various gears at gadgets that he contained.

“Heh! That’s, uh…”

The apprentice trails off, wondering what _Donella_ would do if she saw him acting like this. He clears his throat and assumes his cold persona once again.

“That’s nice and all. But can it help us fix this caravan? Heh, _I don’t think so.”_

Varian wades through the river over to the caravan and fishes out a couple of tools. Hugo does a double-take, amazed that someone would be willing to pitch in that quickly. 

“Wait, you’re... _helping_ me? But why?”

He squints in Varian’s direction, slowly drifting over to the caravan.

“Or is this just a scheme to _rob_ me?”

Varian sighs, exasperated, and stops what he’s doing.

“Buddy...I-I’m not gonna rob you. Just calm down, heh.”

He sees the horse and unties her from the overturned caravan. Rosebud quickly trots over to a tree, shaking herself off.

“And to answer your question, yes. I am helping you, heh.”

He pries open a door of the caravan with a crowbar he happens to have, and looks back to Hugo with a scoff.

“I mean, you clearly need it, _your highness_.”

Hugo eyes Varian skeptically, especially the crowbar in his hand, but he wades with him into the water and starts on the other door.

“Sorry, I’m just used to people scamming me around every corner. Especially ‘cause of my status. Bayangor isn’t the _friendliest_ of places.”

Varian grips the crowbar tighter and scowls.

“Heh. Neither is _Corona,”_ He mentions spitefully under his breath.

Varian places the crowbar back under his coat and tries his best to climb into the overturned door. Hugo gives up on his side and wanders over to Varian, climbing into the door himself.

“I just don’t know what happened,” Hugo tells him. “I mean, it’s almost as if the wheel was blown off somehow.”

Varian feels his breath get caught in his throat, and he coughs a couple of times.

“Heh...y-yeah.”

He clears his throat and returns to looking through the caravan.

“Weird.”

Hugo glances at Varian confusedly, wondering what he’s doing.

“Are you-”

Varian whips around, already fed up with Hugo.

_“NO!”_

Hugo takes a step back, rocking the caravan slightly.

The apprentice takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself.

“I’m not going to rob you, okay? Just _stop_ asking.”

The engineer nods and opens his mouth to say something, but keeps it shut. What Varian lacked in stature he made up for in aggression, and Hugo decides that he definitely doesn’t want him yelling again.

Varian mumbles something under his breath about “unbearable royals” before turning back around to Hugo.

“Well, I-I don’t think this caravan is going anywhere, heh. Hopefully, wherever you’re going is within walking distance, heh.”

The prince stares at Varian in disbelief.

“Walking? But, Corona is _miles_ away! I’d never get there!”

Varian chuckles, forgetting for a second that he’s supposed to be _lying._

“ _Exactly_...I mean- uh...heh. I-I’m sure it won’t take too long, heh!”

He elbows Hugo playfully, who’s still very confused.

“I mean with your height you can cover _a lot_ of ground, you know?”

Varian starts to head out of the caravan when Hugo stops him.

“Wait a second...I actually came prepared for this!”

Hugo runs over to the far left side of the caravan. He lays down on the floor, which was actually the wall, and finds a panel of levers and buttons.

“Which one was it…”

Cheese jumps out of his pocket and guides his finger to the correct lever.

“Ah! Thank you, Cheese.”

Hugo grabs the lever in his hand and calls over his shoulder to Varian.

“Brace yourself!”

“What? _MMPH!”_

The caravan starts to shift and turn, forcing Varian to fly face-first into one of its walls. He hangs onto a latch on the roof as a couple more gears shift into motion. After a few more seconds, the caravan flips completely upright again. Hugo stands up and evaluates his work, giving an approving nod as he steps outside of the machine. Varian drops down from the roof, landing on his back. He winces and slowly stands up, muttering angrily that his plan didn’t work. Though, he is impressed with the engineering trick that Hugo pulled with the caravan, even if he won’t admit it. He walks out the door as Hugo ties his horse back onto the caravan. 

“I can’t believe that worked!” Hugo exclaims.

“Heh, yeah, go figure…” 

Varian wanders around the caravan until his eyes rest on an axle which lacks a wheel. A small smirk forms on his face as he saunters back over to Hugo.

“Too bad about that wheel though, heh.”

The royal cocks his head and strokes his chin in thought.

“Huh…”

He snaps his fingers and turns around.

“Good thing I’ve got a spare! I forgot I packed it, I guess. Do you mind grabbing it for me, Hairstripe?”

Varian stifles an amused laugh while brushing some hair out of his face.

“ _Hairstripe?”_

The engineer cringes at Varian’s tone and rubs his arm, embarrassed. 

“Oh yeah. Sorry. It’s Varian, right?”

Varian moves his hand out to the side in a sarcastic fashion.

“In the flesh, heh.”

He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, zeroing in on Hugo.

“But why ‘ _Hairstripe?’”_

Hugo shifts and glances off to the side.

“It’s just a thing I do…”

Varian, seeing how nervous this is making Hugo, decides to keep pushing it. Ever since his rendezvous in Corona prison, he’s become much more cold and unfeeling. And being around Donella for a year only fueled his hateful nature. The alchemist slinks closer to Hugo and leans his elbow against the caravan.

“Care to _elaborate?”_

Hugo lets out a nervous laugh while keeping a safe distance from Varian.

“Uh...sure. Basically, I just associate people with certain traits they have and that turns into a nickname for them, I guess, heh. I don’t know why, but I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember, and my dad...hates it.”

He waves a hand to Varian’s hair.

“So, I saw the blue stripe in your hair and that’s just what I thought of.”

Varian blinks when Hugo mentions his father, and the smirk slowly melts from his face. He turns away with a flourish.

“At least you _have_ a father,” he comments under his breath.

Hugo guiltily looks down and straightens the cravat on his neck.

“Oh, uh- sorry…”

The apprentice places his arms out in front of him and turns back to Hugo, letting out another cruel snicker.

“ _Sorry?_ No, no, really, it’s _fine.”_

Varian hastily tries to change the topic before he loses Hugo’s trust completely. 

“So, uh, where’s that spare wheel? Heh.”

Hugo snaps out of his daze and points Varian to the back of the caravan. While the apprentice grabs the wheel, Hugo has a heart to heart with his sentient mouse.

“So...what do you think of this Hairstripe kid, Cheese?”

The mouse whirs in his hand, side-eyeing the missing wheel and glancing back up at Hugo.

“Wait, you think _he_ blew up the wheel?”

Cheese nods slowly.

“But...why would he do that?” Hugo asks, bewildered.

Before Cheese can answer, Varian comes back with the spare in his hands and a raccoon wrapped around his shoulders.

“One spare wheel, _your highness,”_

Varian says, holding it out to him.

Hugo takes it while keeping his eyes fixated on the animal.

“Who’s your friend?”

Varian pets the raccoons head tenderly.

“Oh, heh. This is Ruddiger. He comes and goes, you know? He just happened to be in the area.”

Hugo arches an eyebrow at the pet and looks back to Varian.

“He’s...a raccoon.”

Varian rolls his eyes, taking on a very condescending tone.

“Wow! No way! Thanks for pointing that out, heh.”

Hugo quickly jumps in to correct himself.

“No, I meant...aren’t they usually rabid animals?”

Varian sighs and shakes his head.

“Oh, you have _no_ idea.”

“What?”

Varian subconsciously rubs the back of his neck, trying to cover up what he just said.

“Heh! I mean, sure, he can be. But he doesn’t bite on Tuesdays.”

The royal calculates the date in his head, and concernedly turns to Varian.

“It’s Wednesday.”

Varian laughs and elbows him.

“It was a _joke._ I mean, he _can_ be feral, you just have to catch him at the right time, heh.”

Varian steps closer to Hugo and nods to Ruddiger on his shoulder.

“See for yourself, heh.”

Hugo tentatively reaches out to pet Ruddiger’s head, surprised when the raccoon nuzzles against his hand.

“Awe. He’s kinda sweet.”

Varian’s face softens before he realizes he can use this to his advantage.

“Heh, yeah he is, isn’t he? See how much you can learn when you _don’t_ judge a book by its cover?”

Varian folds his arms smugly, waiting for Hugo to connect the dots. Hugo stops petting Ruddiger and realizes what Varian is alluding to.

“ _Oh._ Uh, sorry, Hairstripe- I mean Varian.”

Varian waves his hand away dismissively.

“Don’t sweat it, your highness. Jumping to conclusions just tends to be the _nature_ of most royals. But I don’t blame _you_ , of course.”

“Uh...right…” Hugo mentions while carrying the wheel over and securing it on the axle.

Varian follows him, casually leaning against the caravan again.

“And go ahead. Call me ‘Hairstripe’ if you want, heh.”

Hugo finishes with the wheel and brushes his hands off, turning back to Varian.

“Oh, really?”

Try as he might, Varian could not contain his hatred for royals. And Hugo is standing directly in his spiteful line of fire.

“Heh, of _course._ I couldn’t decline an official title from Prince Hugo of Bayangor! It might be considered _treason!”_

Hugo laughs, hoping that Varian meant it as a joke. It was pretty hard to tell with him.

“Ha, well. Not with me, but that’s not too far off from what my dad might do.”

Varian rolls his eyes and nonchalantly examines his fingertips.

“Heh, typical.”

Hugo nods, not really knowing what else to say, and breaks away from the conversation. He makes his way over to the front of the caravan and climbs into the seat. He whips the reins once, moving the caravan out of the river and onto dry ground. Varian, who’s still leaning on the caravan, doesn’t notice this and falls straight into the water as the caravan moves. Ruddiger jumps off his shoulder and runs to the land, leaving Varian to pick himself up. He does his best to shake the water off of him, and catch up with Hugo, angrily grumbling all the way. 

Hugo stops the caravan once it’s completely out of the river, and has to hold back his laughter when he sees a very drenched looking Varian.

“You sure made a _splash_ back there, Hairstripe!” Hugo remarks, unable to hold back his puns.

Varian takes a slow breath, but it’s evident by his twitching eye that he’s about _this_ close to simply knocking Hugo out.

“It would keep him quiet at least…” he mumbles to himself.

He looks up at the royal with a frustrated grin.

“Yeah, _no kidding._ ”

Varian decides not to waste any time, and climbs up to the bench to sit next to Hugo. Ruddiger climbs up as well and promptly rests on his owner’s shoulder.

“So, where to next?”

Hugo side-eyes Varian and scoots over a bit.

“You’re...coming with me?”

The apprentice notices the gesture and resists the urge to roll his eyes.

“If your _royal_ highness doesn’t mind a poor, _lowly_ commoner, such as myself, traveling alongside you, of course, heh,” Varian tells him, every word filled with passive aggression.

“It’s not that. But...I don’t really know you? I’ve just been raised-”

Varian holds out a hand to cut him off.

“Not to talk to strangers? Hate to break it to you, buddy, but you’ve already broken that rule, heh. Plus, you know, we can get to know each other on the road, heh.”

Hugo nods reluctantly and defeatedly sighs.

“I mean, I _guess_ you can come? You _did_ help me with the caravan,” Hugo mentions before realizing that Varian didn’t _really_ do anything.

Varian puts two hands to his chest, obviously pretending like he’s “touched.”

“Wow, I am _so_ honored. You won’t regret this, your highness, heh.”

Hugo manages a small smile and whips the reins once, forcing the caravan forward. He tries to ease his conscience, remembering that regardless of the way he looks and acts, Varian hasn’t hurt him or robbed him even though he’s had multiple chances. Hugo takes a deep breath and holds out a hand to the apprentice.

“Welcome to the team, Hairstripe.”

Varian shakes his hand, concealing the smirk on his face having successfully infiltrated Hugo.

“Happy to be here, _your highness.”_

Hugo feels a chill run up his spine as Varian says his “name.” Hopefully, that wouldn’t last long. Cheese peeks out of Hugo’s pocket and gives a quick glance to Varian before looking back up to Hugo and slowly shaking his head almost in a warning. The royal gulps and observes Varian out of the corner of his eye.

The alchemist solemnly watches the scenery go by as he pets Ruddiger in his lap. He didn’t look threatening; he almost looked... _sad._

Though Varian’s outward appearance _screams_ danger, Hugo can’t help but feel some sympathy for his new travel buddy. Who knows? Maybe the caravan breaking down was fate and these two boys, from opposite worlds, needed each other more than they could ever know.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! This is my first oneshot for Alchemy Bros Appreciation week and it was so much fun to write!! I hope you all enjoyed!!


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